LA GRANGE — Jim Montague has given his life to baseball. Today, the sport he’s loved for so long is giving back.

Montague, who has been the head baseball coach at North Lenoir since 1991, will be inducted into the Johnston County Athletic Hall of Fame today during a ceremony at Clayton Cleveland High School.

Montague spent his high school days playing football and baseball at South Johnston, which helped give him a foundation for the rest of his life.

“It’s flattering, especially being recognized for something — a game — that was very enjoyable to me,” Montague said. “Whoever thought that the game of baseball as a kid could be recognized as an adult for all of your accomplishments.”

The 1976 graduate of South Johnston had a successful prep career, which sent him to UNC-Wilmington on scholarship. After the completion of his college career with a degree in physical education, Montague got his first teaching and coaching job at Grantham Middle School in Wayne County.

While there, Montague had a professional tryout for the Baltimore Orioles in 1981. Due to the major league strike that year, Montague waited until the following year to sign and did so as a catcher with the Orioles.

He spent the next two seasons in the O’s organization, all while teaching full-time at Graham Middle. After the school year was complete Montague would join the team and play until school began the next season, he said.

At 24 years old he retired from baseball as a player in 1984 after reaching as high as Double-A Charlotte.

It was time to focus on molding young minds and lives.

“If it wasn’t for baseball I wouldn’t be teaching,” Montague said.

He left the middle school ranks in 1985 to coach and teach at the high school level. He was given his first high school job at C.B. Aycock, where he spent one year as the head JV baseball and assistant football coach, before moving to Havelock the following year.

At Havelock Montague coached JV football and won four conference championships. He was also an assistant baseball coach for a team that won two conference titles.

Montague made the move from Havelock to North Lenoir in 1991, and has built a baseball powerhouse. His teams have won two state titles and played for another, all in consecutive years (2005-07). His teams have had five Eastern Regional finals appearances and won eight conference championships. He’s coached a team to the state playoffs 13 times. He has a 355-196 record in 23 seasons leading the Hawks.

He’s had 45 players receive scholarships to play at the next level and four have been drafted professionally.

It’s what his kids and students do after high school that makes what the longtime coach does worthwhile.

Page 2 of 2 - Ceremonies like today’s are just icing on the cake.

“I’ve coached a whole lot of stuff and seen a whole lot of kids,” said Montague, who has also coached soccer, cross country and assisted with football at North Lenoir, where he’s also a member of the Hall of Fame. “When you coach all your players are not going to love you. All of their parents are not going to love you.

“If you do it the right way, and you do it the legal way, and you go home at night with a fair conscious knowing that you’ve done it the right way, that’s all that matters. The kids and parents that say ‘Thank you’ at the end of the year, that’s what makes is all worth it.”

Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.